Assistant Chief Steven Pascarella is the acting chief until a permanent replacement is named. Cole remains on the police force as a sergeant.

"It is critical for the manager to have the full faith and trust of all municipal employees and Asst. Chief Pascarella has this office's full faith and trust," interim manager Lynette McKinney said in her media statement. (Read the full statement.)

"It's a very sad day that this is a political move for whatever reason than to promote one of the deputy mayor's best friends and to try to get her husband promoted," Erosenko said.

The mayor said there was a recent incident where medical information went out from dispatch about an EMS call at a local home. The assistant police chief and the deputy mayor say privacy laws were violated and Cole should be held accountable, but Erosenko said Monroeville's solicitor made it clear there was no HIPAA violation.

Earlier this week, Jeffrey Silka resigned as the municipal manager before the council could vote him out. In a letter, he said Councilwoman Diane Allison, the deputy mayor, had given him an ultimatum to remove Cole or be removed himself.

"My belief is that they want to remove Chief Cole to put the assistant chief into the chief position," Erosenko said on Thursday, one day before Cole was removed. "Mrs. Allison has made it perfectly clear she wants her husband promoted to detective -- and taking the friendship between the assistant chief and Mrs. Allison, that's not out of the realm."

Allison denied that suggestion and said the rules of civil service do not allow promotions based on personal relationships.

Still, Erosenko voiced a desire for some help from the county or state level to resolve the issues in Monroeville's police department.

In Photos: Monroeville then and now

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Monroeville Historical Society

Some say it was the roads that made Monroeville what it is today. The municipality has rapidly expanded since the mid 1950s.